You can either be for or against transhumanism, but machines aren’t going to get dumber. The best thing we can do is continue to improve algorithms, and digital experiences, so that it enhances our lives as humans.
John Havens has written a book called “Heartificial Intelligence” (bonus points for the pun). It overviews where we stand in regards to the intersection of machine and human experiences.
The most tangible story told in the book is surrounding a topic called “Inadvertent Algorithmic Cruelty.”
This is the story of a man that lost his young child. And at the end of the year, Facebook wanted to celebrate the highlights of days past. However, instead of providing empathy for the bleak year he had, they layered balloons over images of his deceased daughter.
There’s no question that machines need to get better. But it takes massive errors like these to make the necessary corrections.
We may never be able to give robots emotions, but we should at least allow them to detect ours.